Feel bad for the guy whose brand-new car gets smashed less than a mile away from the dealership? We do. Apparently, so does Mazda.

Jalopnik has a great story about a new 2016 Mazda Miata owner whose car met an all-too-soon end less than a mile away from the dealership. The ends were smashed, the driver and passenger were bruised (but luckily not seriously) and one of the first new Miatas fell victim to an F-150.

My friend, driving instructor, and fellow racer Brian Makse occasionally plays at being a Canadian auto journalist. Being a Canadian autojourno is very possibly the bestest job available, because even the third-tier guys get free cars and first-class flights to Europe. Right now Brian has a new Jaguar XJR in his garage. Unlike Mr. Makse, I owned a Jaguar when the company was British-owned and fiercely independent, not merely a pawn in various Asian financial shell games.

In an effort to write a better article than Makse’s upcoming Jag XKR review, I’ve decided to talk about a car that is so much cooler than the TataJag that a double shot of vodka placed on its bonnet would immediately freeze. I’m referring to a British automobile of such impeccable pedigree that even Bristol owners nod in its general direction with grudging respect. Ladies and gentlemen… the Lynx Eventer.

If you’re reading this article, that means Fuhrer Schmitt has figured out under what moniker this article should be filed under. As far as I’m concerned it should be a “Question Of The Day”, but it could easily slot into “WTF” and “Wild Arse Rumor Of The Day”. So, here we go… Read More >

TTAC is something of a family affair these days. Though our contributors are still scattered around the country and the world, TTAC’s Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor are now a father-son team that, despite living a few hours drive from one another, hardly ever see each other in person. So with the holidays upon us, we’re slowing down our relentless coverage in order to spend some time together as a family. From now through Sunday, we’ll continue to post some content, though at a more leisurely, holiday-like pace. But don’t worry: though on-page content will slow, we will be taking the time to put finishing touches on several new series to debut here on TTAC as we head into the new year. We’ve got some great stuff lined up for 2010, and we’re thrilled at the prospect of another year of automotive truth-telling. So on behalf of the TTAC family, here in Oregon and around the world, we wish you all a very happy holidays.

Well, it’s that time of year when we call a quick time-out here at TTAC and retreat to our families to celebrate Thanksgiving. Having already celebrated their Thanksgiving, our crack Canadian tech team will be taking advantage of our holiday lull to perform some maintenance behind the scenes. TTAC will be down for several hours today, but we’ll be back to our usual coverage tomorrow, barring any tryptophan-related brain damage. On a final housekeeping note, our moderator team will be trying out a new tool known as disemvowelment, for comments that straddle the line of acceptability.

With that out of the way, thank you all for reading and supporting TTAC. Thanks to our talented contributors, our brilliant commenters, our dedicated moderators and our patient owners. A special thanks is owed (once more and always) to Robert Farago for creating this amazing community. Happy Thanksgiving!

Surprise! There’s some good news coming out of Chrysler’s five-year plan presentation. Okay, the really surprising part first: Sergio Marchionne has revealed that Chrysler has $5.7B in cash, up from $4B when it exited bankruptcy in June. The somewhat less surprising part: Jeep is bringing a stop-start-equipped, diesel-powered Wrangler. How niche-tastic is that?

WFAA-TV reports that a North Texas Church has found a new way to save souls for Jesus: free car repairs.

The Cross Timbers church in Argyle was turned into mechanic’s alley on Saturday, powered by volunteers and a strong faith in helping people in need. “I love them with all my heart. Jesus Christ sent me a sweet bunch of guys,” said driver, Judy Phillips. With her 15-year-old truck barely running, Phillips came to the church for help, knowing her truck needed pricey repairs to pass an upcoming inspection. “If it wasn’t for these people here, I couldn’t do it,” she said. The church offered free car repairs to people down on their luck. “I would just have to ride it out until God knows what would have happened,” said Cindy Garcia, another driver.